There are people who love to cook with their kids.  I am definitely not one of them.  Whoever thought it was a good idea to invite children into the kitchen for fun was most certainly not a control freak like me.  There are countless cook books on the market giving you ideas on how to have fun in the kitchen with your children along with kid-friendly recipes.  In my experience, both of my children just happen to love cooking without any help from me, except for maybe the “love for cooking” gene I’ve passed down to them. I’m fine with leaving it at that.   I’ve had plenty of opportunities to reflect on this topic over the years, 21 years to be exact.  Ever since they’ve been little girls, both Julia and Sydney have wanted to be in the kitchen with me.  It’s hard to say no so I’ll usually find something easy for them to do that doesn’t involve anything sharp or messy.  Stirring is always an easy task to keep a little one busy but before long, they want something a little more interesting than moving a spatula around in a bowl.  As they got older, my daughters wanted to crack eggs, chop vegetables, flip pancakes, and frost cookies.  I’ve probably come up with every excuse to get them out of my kitchen, but there have been times when I just couldn’t bear to break their sweet little hearts and have assigned them small tasks.  It always leads to the same result…me shooing them out to find something else to keep them busy so I can be in my kitchen alone.  Both girls would probably name this as one of my shortcomings and I don’t blame them.  But I prefer to be in my kitchen alone, wearing an apron, providing my own commentary.

I’ve been in the kitchen since about 9 years old.  My mom was gracious and patient enough to invite me in to observe and assist.  It wasn’t long though before I was navigating my own way, preparing meals and entertaining friends.  Before the Food Network, we had Julia Child and The Frugal Gourmet to inspire us, and it was these famous chefs that I channeled as I pretended to have my own cooking show, teaching my tv audience how to bring recipes to life.  I know that I’m not the only one who has done this as a child and I will make a confident guess that there are more than a handful of grown-ups other than myself that haven’t quite grown out of this kind of imaginary play yet based on the 2,865 other fans that have liked the Facebook Fan page for Pretending to have your own cooking show when you are cooking alone.

Potato and Zucchini Hash

Last weekend as I was prepping for this delicious brunch recipe, I reached high up into the cupboard that houses my occasionally used gadgets.  As I pulled my mandolin slicer down from the top shelf, I heard her little feet creeping up behind me with those dreaded 4 little words, “can I help you?”  Knowing how nervous I am about using this extra sharp tool, imagining a trip to the ER everytime I pass a vegetable across the blade, I was even more reluctant to say yes to her this time even though she’ll be turning 11 this week.  I clenched my teeth and said to my youngest daughter, Syd, “you can do one potato.”  Within 3 passes of that potato across the blade, I was working to convince her that anything would be more fun than this.  Thanks to the Wii, I was able to complete this dish on my own quite enjoyably.

Both of these recipes are new ones for me.  They’re perfect for a weekend brunch and are pretty enough for entertaining.  I modified the Potato and Zucchini Hash recipe slightly to add a little more color with red bell pepper.  I also added bacon to the dish which shouldn’t be a surprise if you’ve read To Love, Honor and Cherish.  Everything is better with bacon!  Upon a suggestion from my daughter, Julia, this was the first time I have ever cooked bacon in the oven and it has now become my preferred method (Sorry, Grandma).  By placing a cooling rack on top of a jelly roll pan, the fat is able to drip off the bacon leaving it perfectly cooked, not too chewy and not too crisp.  I rarely make muffins from scratch but these are definitely a winner and will remain in my recipe file for my next brunch menu.  I urge you to shoo the kids out of the kitchen; pull out a game or pop in a movie to keep them busy and try these delicious recipes for a quick and easy brunch on the weekend.

Sour Cream Muffins with Poppy Seed Streusel: Photograph by Andrea Karapas

Potato and Zucchini Hash
Ingredients
2 medium russet potatoes (1 1/2 pounds total), peeled, quartered lengthwise, and thinly sliced crosswise
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
4 eggs, sunny side up
Instructions
Rinse potatoes well under cold running water, then drain and thoroughly pat dry. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until potatoes are almost cooked through and golden, about 15 minutes.
Add zucchini, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring, until zucchini is soft and potatoes are cooked through, 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; divide among four plates. To serve, top with eggs.
**Recipe from May 2010 issue of Everyday Food magazine.

Sour Cream Muffins with Poppy Seed Streusel
Ingredients
Streusel:
3  tablespoons  sugar
2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
1  tablespoon  butter, melted
1  teaspoon  poppy seeds
Muffins:
2  cups  all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
3/4  cup  sugar
2  teaspoons  baking powder
1  teaspoon  baking soda
1/2  teaspoon  salt
3/4  cup  fat-free buttermilk
1/4  cup  butter, melted
1  tablespoon  grated orange rind
1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
1  large egg, lightly beaten
1  (8-ounce) container reduced-fat sour cream
Cooking spray
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°.
To prepare streusel, combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.
To prepare muffins, lightly spoon 2 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine buttermilk and remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a small bowl; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon batter into 15 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle streusel evenly over batter. Bake at 375° for 18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove muffins from pans immediately; place on a wire rack.
**Recipe from November 2005 issue of Cooking Light magazine.